Who we are

As ambassadors, we act as a link between the Hospitality & Catering Management Team and the cabin crew. We share knowledge about sustainable working practices, test new procedures directly on board, and help integrate successful methods into regular processes.

In doing so, we focus on sustainable and efficient product and material cycles and pass our knowledge on to cabin colleagues, for example, on how to reduce food waste or improve waste recycling on board.

In recent years, we have observed remarkable progress on board, especially in recycling. In addition to the regular “Waste Trolley,” special drawers have been introduced in which recyclable materials such as PET, Nespresso pods, cardboard, aluminum, and glass are collected separately.

This separation is crucial for recycling to be possible at all. Since the introduction of this system, only one waste trolley per round-trip flight in Europe is needed instead of four as before. After landing, the waste is handed over to our catering partner Gate Gourmet in Geneva and Zurich and subsequently processed in recycling facilities.

Recycling in new dimensions

One of our latest milestones is the integration of beverage cartons into our recycling process. These typically consist of 75% cardboard, 20% polyethylene, and 5% aluminum. Through a physical separation process, the materials can be reused and processed into cardboard, newspapers, or pallets. Together with Gate Gourmet, this initiative enables savings of up to 30 tons of waste per year. Since recycling beverage cartons is not yet established throughout Switzerland, SWISS is taking a pioneering role here.

Successful recycling tests in the USA

A significant milestone was achieved at Newark Airport (EWR): Since March 2024, SWISS has been allowed, as one of the first non-U.S. airlines, to recycle onboard materials such as glass, aluminum cans, and PET after landing in the United States.

This was made possible through an initiative together with the airline industry association International Air Transport Association (IATA). The goal was to convince U.S. authorities through test runs that the recycling processes on board and with local partners pose no environmental or health risks. The Zurich–Newark test route was successfully audited, after which the approval was granted directly.

The approval at Newark Airport and shortly afterward at JFK is a first small step in the right direction. However, the path to comprehensive recycling in the U.S. is still long, as each station requires an individual review by the authorities.

Today, we recycle—not only in Zurich and Geneva—but at almost all international stations. For the remaining locations, we are continuously working on solutions in collaboration with local authorities and partners, as we did in Newark. Our goal is clear: to enable recycling throughout the entire network.

Together, we can make a difference

Particularly encouraging is the increasing willingness of all cabin crew members to actively participate in the recycling process. Waste reduction has become a shared mission. The commitment of our colleagues clearly demonstrates how seriously we take a more sustainable future.

The numbers speak for themselves. Just last year, together with our caterer Gate Gourmet in Zurich, we were able to recycle 51 tons of PET, 12 tons of aluminum cans, 241 tons of glass, 3.6 tons of Nespresso capsules, and 24 tons of beverage cartons.

However, recycling is only part of a comprehensive approach. We are increasingly relying on resource-conserving product cycles, for example through the use of recycled materials—such as blankets made from recycled polyester on long-haul flights, PET bottles, as well as “PaperWise” packaging for our SWISS Saveurs products on short-haul flights.